LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – A late season push, and a successful road trip is exactly what the Marauders needed, as Millersville defeated Lock Haven 3-1 on Saturday to move to .500 in PSAC East play entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
 
The Marauders (15-10, 5-5 PSAC) have now won three straight matches to move into a tie for fifth place in the PSAC East standings. The Bald Eagles (1-20, 1-9 PSAC) have now lost nine consecutive matches and remain in the cellar of the conference standings. 'Ville has now swept the season series, having beaten Lock Haven 3-0 last month at home.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
(25-13, 25-15, 25-22, 25-20)

• The Marauders took the first two points of the opening set and never looked back, as Lock Haven never led in the set. Up 15-10, Millersville rattled off seven straight points, highlighted by three kills from Rose Vail, to move ahead 21-10 and put a Bald Eagle comeback out of reach.
• 'Ville opened the second set with another seven-point rally, taking an early 8-1 lead. Lock Haven was able to close the gap, forcing a tie at 13-13 after taking nine of the next 11 points. The tie was as close as the Bald Eagles would come to leading, as Millersville responded with a five-point run to move ahead 18-13. 'Ville closed the set quickly, winning each of the final five points to take a 2-0 match advantage.
• Millersville looked to be on its way to a sweep, leading the third set 15-11 before Lock Haven mounted a comeback, scoring five straight and taking their first lead at 16-15. The Bald Eagles took advantage of some Millersville attacking errors to move ahead 22-18, taking their largest lead of the match. The Marauders were unable to find a rally late and dropped the set to move to 2-1 in the match.
• The Marauders returned to form in the fourth set, taking eight of the first ten points, highlighted by a pair of kills from Kylie Airesman. A six-point Bald Eagle rally forced a tie at 9-9. 'Ville retook the lead on a kill from Vail and remained in front for the remainder of the set. Lock Haven did not go down quietly, staying within reach as late as 21-19, before the Marauders took the next three points to widen the gap. 'Ville secured the win on a kill from Caroline Halsey.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Vail led the way with 15 kills as she reached double figures for the sixth straight match.
• The Marauders totaled 11 aces, with Emily Hoffman, Becca Dalstad, and Madison Von Neida recording three a-piece.
• Halsey set a new season high in blocks with five.
•  Emma Ludwig had another strong performance, totaling 36 assists. She now has eight matches with 30+ assists, including all three Millersville wins from the past week. Ludwig also added 14 digs, reaching double figures for the 14^th time.
• Dalstad collected 27 digs, eclipsing 20 digs for the fifth time this season.

REACTION FROM HEAD COACH BRIAN SMITH
"The team started out strong. Served and passed very well and had an easy go of sets one and two. We relaxed a little too much and lost our focus in set three. Turned it back around and ended a success road trip. Things are tightening up going into the last two weeks of conference play and a lot of teams are still in the mix. We look forward to being back home next week."
 
UP NEXT

• The Marauders return home next week for their final three home matches of the regular season, taking on Chestnut Hill on Wednesday, Kutztown on Friday, and East Stroudsburg on Saturday.